1983 Edition

Agriculture

cash crops — peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops — sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; largely self-sufficient

Aid

economic commitments — Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (197081), $997 million; US authorized including Ex-Im (FY70-82) $170 million

Airfields

55 total, 53 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Area

274,540 km2; 50% pasture, 21% fallow, 10% cultivated, 9% forest and scrub, 10% waste and other

Branches

President is an army officer; military council of unknown number; 19member military and civilian Cabinet; judiciary

Army, Air Force

Budget

(1982) revenue $152 million, current expenditures $150 million, development expenditures $160 million

Capital

Ouagadougou

Civil air

no major transport aircraft Upper Volta (continued) Uruguay

Communists

small Communist party; some sympathizers

Elections

political process suspended Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned following November 1980 coup

Electric power

55,000 kW capacity (1983); 123 million kWh produced (1983), 20 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi (about 2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani

Exports

$120 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.); livestock (on the hoof), peanuts, shea nut products, cotton, sesame

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 7,000 metric tons (1979 est.)

GNP

$ 1 . 1 billion ( 1 982), $ 1 69 per capita; real growth, 1.6% (1982)

Government leaders

Cpt. Thomas SANKARA, President

Highways

8,316 km total; 967 km paved, 5,639 km improved, 1,710 km unimproved

Imports

$275 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.); textiles, food, and other consumer goods, transport equipment, machinery, fuels

Labor force

83% agriculture; 12% industry; 5% commerce, services, and government; about 30,000 are wage earners; about 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment

Land boundaries

3,307 km People

Language

French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic family, spoken by 50% of the population

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law

Literacy

7%

Major industries

agricultural processing plants, brewery, bottling, and brick plants; a few other light industries

Major trade partners

Ivory Coast and Ghana; overseas trade mainly with France and other EC countries; preferential tariff to EC and franc zone countries

Member of

AfDB, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), Entente, FAO, GATT, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OGAM, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $27.9 million; about 20% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,504,000; 758,000 fit for military service; no conscription

Monetary conversion rate

about 422.25 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$l (February 1984)

National holiday

Proclamation of the Republic, 11 December

Nationality

noun — Upper Voltan(s); adjective — Upper Voltan

Official name

Republic of Upper Volta

Organized labor

four principal trade union groups represent less than 1% of population Government

Other political or pressure groups

labor organizations are badly splintered; students and teachers occasionally strike

Political subdivisions

10 departments, composed of 44 cercles, headed by civilian administrators

Population

6,733,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 2.5%

Railroads

1,173 km Ouagadougou to Abidjan (Ivory Coast line); 516 km meter gauge (1.00 m), single track in Upper Volta

Religion

65% indigenous beliefs, about 25% Muslim, 10% Christian (mainly Catholic)

Suffrage

universal for adults

Supply

mainly dependent on France, FRG, and UK

Telecommunications

all services only fair; radio relay, wire, radiocommunication stations in use; 8,600 telephones (under 0. 14 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, and 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station Defense Forces

Type

on 4 August 1983 a military coup ended the nine-month-old military regime of Major Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo